RECORDS OF THE AUCKLAND MUSEUM

摘要: This study surveys the published literature on Ulawa bonito canoes to provide a context for the description of a shell-inlaid bonito canoe from Ulawa purchased by Auckland Museum in 1897. The symbolism of the canoe's shell inlay is explained on the basis of a contemporary letter written by Rev. Walter Ivens of the Melanesian Mission, leading to an understanding of the place of bonito fishing in Ulawan culture. Built by the people of Madoa village under the direction of Rev. Clement Marau, the canoe was sold to raise money for a corrugated iron roof on the Madoa Church then under construction. Contemporary accounts of the building of the Madoa Church provide an insight into the role of the Melanesian Mission in the conversion of Ulawa to Christianity and the commodification of Ulawan material culture. These records demonstrate the development of tourist art, especially model canoes and inlaid bowls, on Ulawa in the later decades of the nineteenth century. Questions of authenticity are discussed with regard to the role of the Melanesian Mission and its staff in the production of this bonito canoe and Ulawan tourist art.